Chapter 21: Chapter 13: Saved a Handsome Man
At midnight, outside Linyang City.
Gu Changsheng was lying on the carriage, looking at the sparse inns. Linyang City was neither large nor small, but it was located on the border of Liuzhou, and the distance to the surrounding towns was not short. The inns outside the city had sprung up to provide a stopover for travelers when the city gates were closed at night.
However, Gu Changsheng and his group had already been rejected by five inns, all claiming to be full. The real reason was unsaid but obvious.
After traveling for more than ten days and encountering a heavy rain, their group could truly be described as distressed, and what’s more, they were mostly women and children. Their rejection seemed reasonable under these circumstances.
Gu Changsheng watched as the handsome man he had made a great effort to save had lost too much blood, and finally raised his hand to press a few of his acupuncture points.
The rain was lessening, and gradually more travelers were entering the inns. Yet they were turned away, Gu Changsheng squinted his eyes and looked towards a decent looking but deserted inn, pointing his hand, “Han Qiu, that one there.”
“My lady, it might not be appropriate,” Han Qiu replied with a cold face as he looked at the swaying flags of that inn.
“Nothing about appropriateness, even if it were a dragon’s den and tiger’s lair, you must barge in for me.” As a doctor, Gu Changsheng was somewhat germophobic. The smell of rain-soaked blood still lingered, and continuous rejections had enraged her, and now she desperately needed a bath!
“Yes,” Han Qiu obeyed, turned the horse’s head around, and soon stopped in front of the inn.
Gu Changsheng, carrying her sleepy son, got off the carriage, while Xiao Cui wrapped the rescued man in a cloak and helped Han Qiu get him down.
There wasn’t even a stable boy to greet them. Gu Changsheng looked up and frowned. On both sides of the inn’s door hung lanterns, under the dim light of which the characters facing the door were barely visible:
“Itinerant World’s people talk of Itinerant World’s matters, do not say the Itinerant World people are far.
In the midst of turmoil, discussions of turmoil ensue, who knows the turmoil is right before your eyes.”
Subtext: Wind Cloud Inn.
A pervasive mysterious atmosphere, even the weakened handsome man raised his cold face and frowned.
“My lady, perhaps we should find another inn,” Xiao Cui shrank her shoulders, the inn was eerily empty, and the nearby stable had only a few horses tethered sparsely, without a single carriage in sight. How strange!
“No switching, this is it!” Gu Changsheng stepped forward first and pushed open the door of the inn.
The inn’s hall was very spacious, with several tables and chairs scattered about, and not even a waiter in sight. A person, who looked like the shopkeeper, listlessly raised his head from behind the counter.
A very ordinary person, ordinary features, ordinary clothing, but a fleeting glint in his eye when he saw them did not escape Gu Changsheng’s notice.
“Which path are you from?” The shopkeeper rubbed his eyes and yawned, his question sounded languid.
“Liuzhou path,” Gu Changsheng replied matter-of-factly.
“Liuzhou path?” The shopkeeper questioned, never having heard of it before, looking seriously now at the newcomers—a group of women, children, plus an injured man who, although wrapped in a cloak, still showed a blood-stained blue hem underneath the cloak, with a faint smell of blood.
“Oh, have neglected the friend from the path, have you encountered some turmoil? Just share the incident, and then you may stay at Wind Cloud Inn.” The shopkeeper, with an old face, smiled harmlessly.
Friend from the path? You have got to be kidding! I was a military doctor in my last life, belonged to the righteous path, this life, I am nothing but a law-abiding citizen, no connections to any such paths!
“Nothing to tell,” Gu Changsheng sneered, clearly this was an Itinerant World’s information gathering point, it would be foolish to divulge anything.
“Ah, then, if the guest wishes to stay, you will just have to make us one promise,” the shopkeeper said regretfully, rubbing his hands together. The group looked pitiful, but rules are rules, “It rained heavily today, looks like the other inns are all full, it would be difficult for you to find a spot.”
“A promise? Are you still charging money?” Gu Changsheng raised her eyebrows, asking leisurely.
“You jest, Sir. It’s evident you are not of the Itinerant World, unaware of Wind Cloud Inn’s rules. Depending on the size of the promise, the room rate is charged. Once you stay, we ensure your safety within this inn,” the shopkeeper picked up an abacus, flipping it noisily, looking at them with a subtle smirk.
Quick hands, strong grip.
Quite interesting! She was indeed in need of a safe harbor.
“I commit to one life, Gu Family Medical Hall in Liuzhou City,” Gu Changsheng patted her son who was starting to wake up, pulled up his garment, and gestured for him to continue sleeping.
“Regardless of injury severity?” The shopkeeper stopped his abacus and looked up.
“As long as there is a breath left,” Gu Changsheng replied crisply. Damn it, hadn’t she traveled here to practice medicine, earn money to raise her bundle of joy, and rescue a handsome man? How had she got entangled with this fantastical Itinerant World? Itinerant World, not her cup of tea!